I have played pachinko myself but only at a garage sale. You just reminded me that next spring I have to see if he is selling it again and buy it (as well as a bucket with three dozen or so balls) off him for the $50 he is asking. It's addictively fun.

Maxsleg, heh, actually, I have two pachinko balls sitting here on my keyboard. Wow, the noise in those parlors! Even the noise of the one vintage 70's pachinko machine I have at home can be a bit much, let alone over a hundred of them with loud music playing in the background...

It was the noise that really struck me - like a cross between a roller-disco and industrial printing press...

Just come back from another 2 weeks in Japan, again all work in the Tokyo area but did make a few trips at the weekend. Did Mt. Fuji and the Hakone - unfortunately it rained the whole day Harajuku was very good on the Sunday - a lot of Rockers and Harajuku girls out..Had dinner one night on the 52nd floor of the Sumitomo building in Shinjuku, what a great veiw of Tokyo - glad I wasn't paying the bill!

Yeah, there was a torrential downpour the second day we were in Hakone... That and the crazy-ass bus ride back down the mountain, after I had eaten a bit too much kamaboko and oden made that the worst part of the whole visit in Japan.